Mike Marsh began his working life in 1955 as a
Junior Quantity Surveyor in London. However, by the time he had completed
his National Service in 1959 he had decided on a change of career; he went
to a teacher training college and became a teacher of woodwork. This
typifies Mike’s ability to change his pattern of life without any
reservations on his part - a talent he has used throughout his life.

Mike and his wife Jeanette moved to Cornard in
1965. Mike had been a teacher at Dulwich in south London at a comprehensive
school with 1600 boys. The Sudbury Boys’ Secondary School at which he
started teaching in Mill Lane held 360 boys, so Mike noticed a big
difference. He soon got involved in the Scout Movement here having already
had experience of running Scout Troops not only in Croydon where he used to
live, but also in Cyprus for the English families stationed there whilst he
was serving in the RAF. Mike ran the Rover Scouts, now the Venture Scouts,
in Sudbury, eventually becoming District Commissioner - a post he held for
five years. He was also a scout canoeing instructor and county sailing
instructor in the 1960’s.

Mike gets very involved in his many hobbies - in
1948 at the age of ten he took some holiday photos and rather than take them
to be developed as most people would, he bought the chemicals to develop
them himself. He used to belong to the Sudbury Camera Club and has many
lovely photographs, but now uses his computer to store and print out the
photos; presently there are some 14,000 on his computer.

When the school in Mill Lane closed in 1972 Mike
taught woodwork at the Sudbury Upper School but retired from there in 1985
through ill health. When the Museum of East Anglian Life opened its new Boby
Building in 1986, Mike established the Wheelwright’s Workshop demonstrating
the making of wheels for the wagons and carts, whilst working at the craft
of woodturning himself. Mike wrote a book on Wheelwrighting and was on the
Register of the Worshipful Company of Turners.

In 1992 he returned to Sudbury Upper School on a
part time basis as a technician in the workshops whilst still working at the
Museum in the afternoons. Later this became full time by adding computer
network maintenance in the afternoons, at which time he ceased to work at
the Museum. His last final four years of working were at Culford School
where all his time was spent running the computer networks.

Although now fully retired Mike still keeps very
busy - he is an amateur radio enthusiast and was a founder member of the
local Amateur Radio Club in the mid 1970’s. He is also very interested in
steam engines, taking a trip every year on one of the steam trains still
running in the country. He is on the committee of The Royal British Legion
and been their Standard Bearer for 4 years. This organisation is growing in
size in the area and carry out a lot of social events as well as helping
ex-servicemen.

Mike is also a member of CAMRA - the
organisation that campaigns for Real Ale and has visited all the local
breweries. He is currently Membership Secretary for the U3A - a flourishing
organisation for older people in Sudbury - and takes part in six specialist
groups within the U3A. On top of all this Mike was at one time a relief
organist at St. Gregory’s Church and played at his son’s wedding and his
mother’s funeral. Mike and Jeanette have two sons, both still living in the
area, and four grandchildren. It can safely be said that Mike has not wasted
his life but has used every moment to full advantage and long may he and
Jeanette continue to do so.